Licorice Pizza
I like Paul Thomas Anderson! He is the director of this movie as well as many others. If you saw “The Master” and “Phantom Thread,” you know that he has an eye for different types of film. “The Master” is not just one of my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson films, but one of my favorite films of all time. People say that they did not like “The Master” as much as his other films, but it gives off the vibe of a cult and explores the characters in a cult so wonderfully. I do not necessarily claim to have been a member of a cult, but having been a member of a community that has similar qualities to a cult, I was moved by this film in ways I cannot explain. It got me right in the soul and changed the way I look at everything. That is what Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA) has the power to do with his films. He does with the 1970’s what he did for me on the subject of cults and worship in “The Master.” I’ve heard from other film reviewers that this is one of PTA’s more accessible films. I believe the accessibility of the film is directly related to how many people the film is able to touch and influence. There are a whole lot more people that can relate to the “homey” feeling of the 1970’s and ‘80’s than can relate to the feeling of being mixed up in a cult. That is why, I believe, this film is resonating more with people than more niche films like “The Master.”
There is just something familiar about the era of the ‘70’s. I was born well after the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, for that matter, even so, I felt the warm, familiarity that I feel when I think about that time. In my mind, people were more welcoming and friendly, children were not coddled as much, making them prepared for the woes of the world from an earlier age which means they are more accepted by society. I mean, kids were able to start a business selling beds to people. How many of us would buy a bed from a 15 year old kid? I can tell you, right now, I wouldn’t. This film made it seem normal, though. I left it asking myself questions like, why wasn’t I more ingenuitive as a kid? And Why was I not more daring like those kids? There were just no cares in the world back then, rather than today when we worry about con artists and germs all of the time. UGH! This is going to start ruining my view on humanity if I go much longer down that hole, so I’ll stop.
The acting was great! Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Phillip Seymore Hoffman, was perfectly cast, I thought. He had the smile to be a charmer. His face looks like he smiles a lot and that was the way his character was. He also had the confidence one would need to be able to go to school and survive in the ‘70’s. Confidence originates from the inside, shows itself in the spine, and changes how a person walks. His confidence was being shown to the world and from whatI saw, he deserved to have all of it. He was smooth and charming enough to deserve that confidence. I should be an acting coach where I help people discover the character they’re going to portray! Oof, okay I’ve got that figured out.
Alana Haim was just wonderful! She was so real and relatable, while also being alluring. I felt like I wanted to be around her, like even in the few scenes when she’s off screen, I wondered what she was doing and wanted to be there with her, just to hang out. You know, it’s fascinating, I do not find her physically appealing in the slightest but she was mentally and emotionally appealing to me throughout the film. I love when films do that! Use something other than sex appeal to cause a character to connect with you. That is another reason this film connects so well to the ‘70’s! The period of time after the 60’s was about seeing people, especially women, for more than just their looks so the adage of that element was very apropos.
I loved all the little cameos! Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn, Maya Rudolph, etc. Did you know that Maya Rudolph is married to PTA?! That is a fun little nugget of information to keep in your holster until it deems itself necessary.
This film, truly, is beautiful! I did not expect it to be as stunning as it was or have as much interesting camerawork as it did but I am not sad about it. The film just uses color and its camera shots to enhance the film in such a way that it exudes the warm, “summery” atmosphere that comes with shooting a film about that time period.
If you couldn’t tell, I loved this movie! I know that I’ve said I belong in the 1920’s, but this film painted such a beautiful picture of what it would be like to live in the 1970’s that I might be questioning that now. If you get a chance, see Licorice Pizza!
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